The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Stake Cut by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust cut its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 253,667 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 6,824 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for about 0.3% of Greenleaf Trust’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $23,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,135,688 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $8,455,660,000 after purchasing an additional 392,783 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,008,484 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $4,622,514,000 after purchasing an additional 6,036,764 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,619,778 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,118,935,000 after purchasing an additional 12,468,119 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,891,507 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,632,900,000 after acquiring an additional 209,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 90,089.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,788,543 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,575,168,000 after acquiring an additional 19,766,602 shares in the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.36. 6,016,372 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,038,122. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.65 and a 1-year high of $102.84. The company has a market capitalization of $105.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.21.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. TJX Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.19.

TJX Companies Profile

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.